I spent six nights at Pousada Guarana, in the beautiful town of Paraty, and I can't recommend it…read moreenough. The rooms are beautifully decorated, spotlessly clean and wonderfully quiet. The pousada itself is kept to the same standard, with wonderful friendly staff. Breakfast was lovely and set me up for the day, I still hanker after those delicious fresh cakes and good strong coffee. David and his wife, the owners, couldn't have been more helpful if they tried, from suggesting things to do (but not pushing expensive tours on you) to providing us with umbrellas, they were awesome. The only thing I could say is that it's a 10 minute walk out of town. But I have to say there's a big positive to that; there are a lot of things on the way to town you might miss out on; the canal walk on an evening, the lovely and cheap barbeque grills, the local bars full of life. Added to that, the Pousada has bikes you can use for free if you can't face walking, so it's no inconvenience at all. The local buses also pick up right at the end of the street, making travel to the many great surrounding towns and places both easy and cheap. So, I can't recommend it enough, if you're going to stay in Paraty, Pousada Guarana should be top of your list :D

Totally agree with the first review. We stayed here in Nov 2007 - were slightly concerned about the…read moredistance to the center, but we so glad we stayed out here. Prices are lower, rooms are bigger and it is much quieter. The owners were very helpful, not pushing tours on us. We took the local buses a couple of times, once to Trinidade and once to the start of the walk to Praia do Sono. Lovely people and lovely place. Def recommend

Extremely old. The room was beyond outdated. Never been in a…read morehotel this outdated in my life. The balcony rail was rusted, the safe was unbelievable dirty, TV was gigantic (super old school), Floor's tile broken and dirty, the walls were unfinished! Pictures say for itself. This is worst than a motel!!!!!!!

If you're traveling to Rio, Copacabana Palace is the place to stay. The service, amenities, and…read moresmall touches all add up to a restful and restorative stay. The resort has something for families, singles, events, conferences, couples and more. Located directly on the beach there is no where better to stay. We booked with Chase Sapphire Reserve and had quite a good amount of specials. A resort credit, an upgrade, late checkout, and free breakfast. The suite had beautiful high ceilings, spacious bathroom and living room, and we were met with a bottle of champagne upon our arrival. Concierge and hotel staff took care of everything for us from restaurant bookings to attractions to attraction and spa bookings. I can't say enough about the friendly and helpful nature of everyone we encountered. We enjoyed breakfast each morning with a beautiful buffet of fruits, pastries, meats, cheeses, fresh fruit juices, eggs, sausage, and more. We also could order off the menu for specific items. Coffee, sparkling wine, and juices included. The pool was the perfect temperature(its temperature controlled), and well attended with bathrooms right there. Outside on the beach the hotel has its own tent, chairs, and towels. Complimentary beach bag and flip flops upon your arrival. Turndown included fresh water and treats, and I loved the scents of all their products. Great restaurants on site as well as nearby.

This is what you call an EXPERIENCE. My stay at the copacabana palace changed my life and I will…read morenever again settle for anything else. The vibe is pretty old school, but the staff are all pretty young, so they really make the place feel more alive! Breakfast is pretty good and they have lots of options, 24hr pool, and tennis courts! What I really liked was that they had a section reserved right on the beach, where you can sit, leave your stuff, and even get a massage! Will definitely be back! They have my heart!!

What really makes this place special is the restaurant. I live 8 hours away in SP interior and am…read moreliterally planning my next return, just for the food. I have eaten at the Alinea Group in Chicago, and the food here is 10x better. And the service is outstanding. Excellent service, atmosphere, taste, excellent all around. Unforgettable, unbelievable. I can't wait to return.

This place is fairly difficult to find, especially if you are traveling by bus. By car, they give…read moreyou directions on their website but by bus, you have to walk quite a ways, take a ferry across the canal and the driveway is very unclear since there's no signage. The driveway is incredibly steep and you'll find reception at the very bottom where one can check in. This also serves as the indoor restaurant seating (they have more seating outside and upstairs). We were offered the meal package which is a flat rate of R$80 for a main course (but not seafood- that's extra), dessert, drink and espresso with service included. Items on the menu a la carte, are a bit pricy so this ends up being a good deal if you don't go elsewhere to eat and have a big appetite. However we found out upon checking out that here's a ton of tricky extras (most dishes cost +R$10-15 more). This seemed a little dishonest to me. Either do a flat rate with a limited menu or don't do one at all. I would not recommend eating more that two meals here if you're staying longer that one night. There are a few options that are walkable (a restaurant just on the other side of the canal (free boat service), a pizza place down the street, etc. The room we got was quite small, just room for the bed a dresser, a mini fridge, a tiny balcony, and a small bathroom with tight shower. The bathroom doesn't have any ventilation but an open window that you can close the slates. They have some shampoo, bars of soap and nice towels, the very minimum for a luxury hotel. They provide bug spray and plug-ins for your room (that means don't leave windows open or any food items out because the ants will find it!). It was Easter weekend, so room prices were super expensive. They have several types of rooms, designed for families, larger suites and the tiny room we were stuck in. Fortunately we got upgraded the following day when people left and the room was much bigger and far more comfortable. The windows and doors are sliding or spin on an axis so there's plenty of room for critters to sneak in. For the most part, the bathroom airs out on its own and on the second floor there's less bugs. The food was quite good, though it took a little while to prepare the food. They give you a bread starter which is usually good. We tried their eggplant Parmesan starter which is a smaller portion but still enough for a meal. The bacon wrapped steak was tasty but the sauce was a little strong and the rice was nice and cheesy. The chicken Parmesan was also delicious and two full filets are so filling. The salmon and noodle salad was way too much to eat and the salmon was incredibly salty. The calabresa pizza has 6 slices, enough to share, again tasty but too salty. The four cheese penne pasta had a nice sauce to it, but was a huge heaping portion. The filet mignon risotto was also decent. For dessert the lava cake was chocolatey but not served flambé like their pictures. The caramelized banana was the best with a more reasonable portion size and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The banana croconte was a little too much batter (fritters with a small piece of banana inside, sprinkled with cinnamon and caramel). Again food was overall good but a little pricey. Breakfast is included and was a nice buffet of fresh fruits and tasty breads and cakes. Nepresso isn't included (R$5). We did a boat excursion with them, which a nice old man took us out on the boat. First we went down the canal and admired all the fancy houses and boats. Then we went three different beach stops for 40 minutes each. They had nice snorkel mask (without the snorkel) to borrow but there were only a few fish despite the clear waters. One beach had a stand that sold food and was nice enough to sit on the island. We never felt rushed and he explained the surrounding area, pointed out famous peoples' houses etc. It was a great trip but needs a minimum of 4 people to operate. The pool was nice to relax in, with a board that extended over it (easy to jump in or sit with you feet in) a swim up bar (unmanned, so couldn't order drinks) and a small outhouse. The dock was pretty to watch the sunset, but very little shade during the day. There's a free ferry across the canal that runs all day and gives you access to the main beach which is walkable. There's also a hike to the waterfalls but would be 90 minutes to walk there. Overall nice place but a bit overpriced. Was a nice stay but would probably chose something different if we returned to this area.